Tag: jesus

Funny, inspiring, nostalgic, full of faith Moments in Life

The Nightmare & the Prayers

karenharperdeloach

They were coming for me again!

I was tied down to a bed, with shackles on my wrists. I broke out in sweat. I struggled so hard to get free that the shackles dug into my skin.

I heard them talking quietly, but it was so dark I couldn’t see them. Then they entered the room. My anxiety went through the roof!

Two of them held me down. Then the third person, the one I feared most, the one with the knife, approached my bed and did unspeakable things to me. It hurt so bad, I couldn’t even scream.

Where was my husband? Where were my sons? They could have rescued me from these vile people! But they never came.

After it was over, I lay there, tears streaming down my face. A small reprieve, but I knew they would be back. They always came back.

If they didn’t come at me with the knife, they tortured me in other ways.

I thought this was my life now.

Alone.

Tied down and tortured.

No friend or family to help me.

At one point, I heard a person whisper to somebody that there was a detective in the house, following up on rumors that a man was slipping into my room at night and raping me when I was drugged.

The only prayer I could manage on occasion was “God help me!” And that not very often. I thought He had abandoned me, too.

Unending pain. Unbearable loneliness. And where was God? I was hopeless.

Those were hallucinations.

I didn’t know it at the time. I thought it was real life. MY LIFE!

Whether it was the hematoma on my brain from an unknown person hitting me on my head (NOT a hallucination) or a bad UTI that went unnoticed and untreated, something caused the hallucinations.

The pain was very real, but it was from my recent surgeries and the large wound where my hip should have been. The torturers were nurses, trying to do their job.

The loneliness was very real, because my family could not visit me, due to the covid pandemic.

From stories told to me later, I was apparently acting crazy. For example, I called my sister Patti in Oklahoma in the dead of night to tell her to contact my son Dane and tell him I overheard a plot to kidnap my grandchildren and take them to South Carolina. There were other crazy things.

When I came to myself, nurses were removing my restraints (my handcuffs). I was so relieved that I was in the hospital and not in the clutches of kidnappers who tortured me.

But the thing that made me most understand the state I was in: A few days after I came to myself, an older, very caring nurse came back to work after several days. She treated me so kindly all day. That evening, she was going over her patient roster. When she came to my name, she looked at me and said, “You’re not Karen DeLoach!” I said, “Yes, I’m Karen DeLoach.” She said insistently, “NO! You are NOT Karen DeLoach!” I thought to myself, Oh, no! It’s happening again!

Then she started laughing and said, “I didn’t recognize you! All week long, I’ve been praying, asking God to not make me have to work with that horrible Mrs. DeLoach again! You scared me!”

I laughed and said, “Yes it’s me.” She hadn’t recognized the mild, laidback woman in front of her.

My point: All during that time, I couldn’t feel God’s presence. I couldn’t pray. I thought He forgot me.

The ONLY thing that got me through during that time was people and family praying for me. I didn’t know during the hallucinations that anybody cared or was praying for me.

But when I came to myself, I realized that people were praying, and God was listening.

At some point down the road, I was able to pray again. It still felt like my prayers weren’t going past the ceiling. But I knew I had to go by faith, not feelings.

And eventually, I could sense God’s sweet presence.

It has been a long haul. After six surgeries, my right leg is twisted and unmovable. I need help to sit up and get into my wheelchair, I still have osteomyelitis (infection in the bone),

But God has been so good to me, in so many ways. The prayers of believers and their encouragement have kept me going these last six years. God has put in me such a love for Him and His Word that grows every day

I have peace. I’m grateful. I feel God’s love daily. He has never forsaken me.

Those who have interceded in prayer for me are precious to my heart. I probably wouldn’t have made it if not for the intercessory prayers of believers.

So, I tell myself and want to tell others. You do not always know what is going on in a person’s life, but your prayers are felt. Especially when you are helpless and can’t pray for yourself.

Be an intercessor! You may be helping to save someone’s life.

And I will intercede for you.

To God be the glory!

Funny, inspiring, nostalgic, full of faith Moments in Life

Child-like Faith

karenharperdeloach

Picture a little girl, six years old, lying flat on her back on the platform of her church auditorium.

She’s surrounded by other children, slightly older, who are lying there, too. The children are praying, lying on their backs with arms raised to heaven. An adult is next to each child, praying with them. Except for this little girl. She’s the last to go forward at the invitation to come to Jesus.

The sermon that night touched the heart of the pastor’s daughter. As she went forward, the other children followed like a flood. Praying. Crying. Asking Jesus to come into their hearts.

The little girl went to the altar, too. The last one to arrive. She lay down with her hands raised like the other children. Her little 50s style dress was short, so when she raised her hands, the skirt of her dress went up. She was conscious of this and pulled her skirt down occasionally before raising her hands again and continuing to pray.

The room was filled with the sweet spirit of God. Adults and children alike felt it in a powerful and precious way.

No one came to pray with her. They were busy with the other children. She thought to herself, ‘No one takes me seriously, because I’m the littlest.’ But she continued to pray as she knew how. Tears dripped down her little face.

There was One who took notice, though. Jesus Christ saw her child-like faith and sincerity.

“Come into my heart, into my heart. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.”

She learned that song in Children’s Church. Had sang it often. But that evening, as she lay before the Lord, that became the prayer of her heart. Jesus came in to stay. He never left her. Even when she strayed, He was there, drawing her back to Him.

Through the years, she heard so many outstanding testimonies of people whom God had lifted out of the deep mire of sin. She didn’t think she had much of a testimony, nothing so heart-breaking and beautiful.

One day her eyes were opened to the fact that Jesus saved her when she was a little girl and had kept her close. He gave her a heart to love Him. She was spared from so much, especially in her teens . . . the era of free love, drugs, and drink.

Then her heart was flooded with gratitude that God had blessed her with a Christian heritage, caring mentors and examples of faith-filled people.

Yes! She has a wonderful, precious testimony! Jesus Christ loves her, saved her, and has blessed her with His faithfulness for sixty-seven years.

That little girl was me. I thank God every day that I was privileged to become His child at such a young age. To God be the glory!

Funny, inspiring, nostalgic, full of faith Moments in Life, Inspiration

Living in Babylon

karenharperdeloach

I had a double whammy this week. A good one. While in the middle of a study on the book of Daniel, I came across a movie entitled “Time Changer.”

The movie wasn’t the most well-produced one I’ve seen. But it was spot-on in its context. Its theme reinforced what I had been studying in the first half of Daniel . . . living life with integrity in a corrupt culture.

In the book of Daniel, I was witnessing the integrity of a few young Hebrew captives living in Babylon, purported to be the richest and most beautiful kingdom of its day. Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego could have assimilated into this wondrous new culture, like many other captured Hebrews. But they resisted the temptations and remembered their one true God. It came at a cost.

Remember Daniel thrown to the hungry lions, and the other three thrown into a deadly, fiery furnace?

God delivered them because of their faithfulness in the midst of wicked Babylon.

In the “me first” culture of excess, selfishness, and ungodliness, they retained their integrity.

Jump over to the time travel movie, set in the 1800’s. A Bible professor trying to convince a colleague, a fellow Bible scholar, that the book he wrote and wanted endorsed by their seminary, though beautifully written, was encouraging people to stick to high moral values without including Jesus as the one who set the standards.

His colleague didn’t get it. He wanted to teach high morals but keep Jesus’ name out of it lest it offend some people.

How did the Professor convince the author of the book?

Yep. He sent him forward in time by way of a transporter. (I love time travel movies.) It was a time and place which the Professor himself had already visited.

One hundred years into the future.

Talk about culture shock! The colleague was fascinated by the advancements made in one hundred years, but totally disillusioned with the people and their way of life.

Selfishness and rudeness, disrespectful and rebellious children, and lack of face to face communication were disturbing. Many didn’t think their actions were wrong. Some thought being a good guy was enough. Others didn’t even know who Jesus is.

His biggest disappointment were the people of a church he visited. They were geared more to a social experience than a spiritual one.

While he sang the hymns with great enthusiasm and absorbed the sermon, most people seemed to just go through the motions. When he went out with the visitation group, there was no mention of the gospel . . . just advertising the activities.

He was appalled to hear people take God’s name in vain; apalled by the lack of modesty and the sexual titillation all around.

He stood up with integrity. He tried to convince people that Jesus is our only Savior, and the Bible should set the standard for living. He spoke of heaven and hell. His urgent feeling: “We must protect our children!”

Of course, many thought he was stranger than strange, including some people in the church.

The final straw was when he watched television in his hotel. He scanned the many channels and was horrified by scenes of violence, cursing, sexual immorality, rebellion, selfishness, and more meanness between people than he had ever witnessed.

He was heartbroken and asked God for forgiveness, finally understanding that teaching moral living was not enough. Jesus had to be in the forefront.

There’s more to the story, but being a Biblical scholar, he might have thought he was encountering a modern day Babylon. Beautiful and filled with any material thing a person could desire, but corrupt and self-absorbed.

He encountered a librarian at the University library, who was a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. She talked about the “me first” concept of life. She spoke about media of all types being a tool of Satan, that through the years had desensitized people to evil, including herself until she met Jesus. Including many who claimed to be Christian.

Does any of this sound familiar?

As the world moved into more and more evil, some of the Church trailed along behind with the thought that “I’m not as evil as the world, so I’m okay,” all the while being desensitized to their surroundings, falling into Satan’s deceit.

I believe we are living in a culture that mirrors Babylon. I want to live in it with Christ-like integrity. I want to be like those young Hebrew men.

I’m most concerned for my grandchildren . . . all children . . . who live in this self-absorbed world. I want to be an example of godly integrity in a sin sick world.

As the Church, we must be aware and ask ourselves, “Am I allowing myself to be desensitized to evil, even in the smallest of ways?”

My desire is that the Church will take a stand, be strong, uplift Jesus, and spread His gospel.

Do we want to live a life of faithfulness and integrity in the midst of modern day Babylon?

I do. May God help us.